Taking It Out, Bringing It In

I’ve been around radio for a good many years (actually, a good many decades), including times when it was a rather tenuous connection and a definite eyebrow-raiser. Too long a story for here. I know I’ve worked Christmas Eve and Christmas at one place or another; you don’t forget that. I’m sure I’ve worked New Year’s Eve, but I just can’t remember it. If I worked Christmas Eve at this one station, I should have worked New Year’s Eve as well; they’re a week apart.

Unless I’m one of the few radio newsmen and/or disc jockeys who never had the experience of taking out the old year and bringing in the new year. It’s the kind of thing you don’t forget: “And now, we leave Nineteen (old year) and enter into Nineteen (new year).” Nope; never said it. Either I was watching Guy Lombardo or Dick Clark.

I’ve worked in a time zone “corner,” where we were in EST, a few miles west was CDT and a few miles north was EDT. Try announcing upcoming program times juggling all that around in your head!

I’ve taken out Beethoven and brought in Pink Floyd. It was at a station which was classical until midnight, then classic rock in the wee small hours. I’d finish the classical music, then chat with the overnighter as he, off-mic, started moving into the announce chair and I would begin moving off-mic. It was an announcer switch you could see over the radio.

May you take time in 2007 to ponder the mysteries of the universe.